I believe there are 1 or two for sale on this forum, I bought mine off a backer on this forum previously. But that was before the case was even made.
-
Save 15% on ALL SFF Network merch, until Dec 31st! Use code SFF2024 at checkout. Click here!
Production Dr Zaber Sentry - Console-sized gaming PC case project
- Thread starter ZombiPL
- Start date
not sure if this is the best place to ask but, just got my hands on a sentry and was looking for a little feedback with my build plan.
1)Does this look fine, so I need any other parts?
2)would a 8700k and z370i work well or would it be too hot, was thinking of upgrading it more
3)is this gpu fine or would you recommend a different one
CPU: Intel - Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-L9i 33.8 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Asus - ROG STRIX Z270i GAMING Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory
Storage: Samsung - 950 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive
Storage: Western Digital - Black 1TB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Turbo Video Card
Power Supply: Silverstone - 500W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply
1)Does this look fine, so I need any other parts?
2)would a 8700k and z370i work well or would it be too hot, was thinking of upgrading it more
3)is this gpu fine or would you recommend a different one
CPU: Intel - Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-L9i 33.8 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Asus - ROG STRIX Z270i GAMING Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory
Storage: Samsung - 950 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive
Storage: Western Digital - Black 1TB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Turbo Video Card
Power Supply: Silverstone - 500W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply
good lord that is an overpowered system! asus turbo cards aren't the best so you might be better off looking for a different 1080ti. an 8700k is a much hotter chip so if you are doing anything heavy (which your specs suggest you might) you would likely run into throttling. If you want a silver stone psu, i recommend you go for the 550 sfx instead as it has a 92mm fan resulting in much nice acoustics.
otherwise looks pretty damn nice
basically any other comparable 1080ti, its more of a case of the turbo being unnecessarily loud
I’d like to chime in here. I currently have a ML08 case by silver stone. While way larger, the case is very similar to the sentry, probably more so than almost any other commercial case besides the Node 202. I had a strix 1080 Ti in there that did work almost perfect. Very quiet and the GPU ran very cool.
However I switched to the Asus Turbo because my 2.5 drives were hitting +70C that are right behind it. My turbo is almost as powerful and just a bit warmer/louder than the strix was and my drives are almost 30C cooler, making me feel much better about their longevity.
Blowers get a bad wrap compared to aib cards, but there are scenarios where they make sense. Especially with powerful/hot parts in a small case.
Last edited:
Forgive my ignorance, but if one must use a blower style GPU for a 1070 Ti, 1080, or 1080 Ti, wouldn't a Founder's Edition make more sense than an OEM blower card due to the vapor chamber? Or is the difference so negligible that the vapor chamber is more of a marketing feature than a practical one?
I can’t find any founders 1080ti that around ridiculous priced otherwise I’d get one
idk if this is out yet but it would be cool if it would fit
http://www.galax.com/en/graphics-card/hof/galax-geforcer-gtx-1080-ti-hof-watercooled.html
http://www.galax.com/en/graphics-card/hof/galax-geforcer-gtx-1080-ti-hof-watercooled.html
I was able to get my hands on a black Sentry case! I couldn't wait and spent most of my afternoon and evening performing a transplant from my SilverStone ML08. Even though it's a tighter space, I actually found it easier to work with the Sentry than with the ML08. There is only one side panel as opposed to two with a finicky tab system, and there aren't as many little brackets and plastic pieces to screw in for PSU/GPU security.
The LP53+Noctua NF-A9x14 is so much quieter in the Sentry than the Scythe Big Shuriken 2 rev. b. So much so, I actually had to check to make sure it was actually working after I booted it up. It's like a whisper at idle.
EDIT: For anyone interested in the Demcifilter magnetic dust filters, be careful because they can scratch the case if there are any particles on the magnet side, or if they slide around while you're picking up and moving the case. I learned my lesson the hard way and although they're only really visible under direct light, I'm still really bummed out that I scratched the metal on my first day with the case.
I stand by my initial impressions about the build quality and ease of use. The Sentry's construction just exudes quality with its very tight tolerances, yet manages to be easier to take apart and work in than the larger and "mainstream" ML08. I'm still amazed at how much smaller this is. The ML08 was just slightly too large for a carry-on luggage bag, but I can fit the Sentry in a medium Timbuk2 messenger bag! Simply amazing. I can't wait to bring this to friend's houses and seeing their faces when I pull this out of my bag.
The LP53+Noctua NF-A9x14 is so much quieter in the Sentry than the Scythe Big Shuriken 2 rev. b. So much so, I actually had to check to make sure it was actually working after I booted it up. It's like a whisper at idle.
EDIT: For anyone interested in the Demcifilter magnetic dust filters, be careful because they can scratch the case if there are any particles on the magnet side, or if they slide around while you're picking up and moving the case. I learned my lesson the hard way and although they're only really visible under direct light, I'm still really bummed out that I scratched the metal on my first day with the case.
I stand by my initial impressions about the build quality and ease of use. The Sentry's construction just exudes quality with its very tight tolerances, yet manages to be easier to take apart and work in than the larger and "mainstream" ML08. I'm still amazed at how much smaller this is. The ML08 was just slightly too large for a carry-on luggage bag, but I can fit the Sentry in a medium Timbuk2 messenger bag! Simply amazing. I can't wait to bring this to friend's houses and seeing their faces when I pull this out of my bag.
Last edited:
I went with sillicone bands for cooking on Amazon. Https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0041HTBQ2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_wZ2oAbY8ABQCM
I also went with the ASRock gaming. I applied kryonaut but I'm thinking it's bad or dried out. It kept sliding off and wouldn't come off the tool provided.
So I ordered the Conductnaut since I have the lp53, waiting for that to get here (likely after Xmas) before I put it in the case.
I been running it out of the case, getting 37-38c idle in bios (standard fan profile).
I'm looking for a 1080ti, blower seems like the better choice. EVGA blower?
After a long process and a PSU/MB failure, I have almost finished my Sentry, still on the hunt for the best card. Perhaps I'll wait for Volta/Ampere.
Fatal1ty Z370 Gaming-ITX/ac
Intel 8700 Coffee Lake
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 2666MHz (PC4 21300) C16
Thermolab LP53 Slim & Quiet CPU Cooler Intel 1155/1156
Noctua 92 x 14 mm Low-Profile Cooling Fan with A-Series Blades (NF-A9x14) w/ Silicone Cooking Bands
Samsung 960 EVO Series - 500GB NVMe - M.2 Internal SSD (MZ-V6E500BW)
JP-P600-05 JunPus JP-P600 High Performance Thermal Pad 6W/mK (100x100mm) 0.5 mm
Corsair SF600 600W PSU
Demcifilters
The termal pad helped temps out of the case for the 960 evo, 8C lower. It's the same temp inside the case with the thermalpad vs out of case without thermal pad because it's under the motherboard and the motherboard was that on the foam. I didn't remove the sticker, since it has copper traces and it voids the warranty, I doubt it would make a difference anyway.
I first had Kyronaut, but I found it really hard to apply. The paste is very dry and the TIM sticks more to the spatula tool provided than anything else. The TIM was sliding around on the processor. Using PassMark Performance Test 9.0, my max cpu temps were between 80-85C, depending on the core with Kyronaut. I then decided to try Conductonaut, which got me a max of 80C, that was consistent across all cores. I then started to read a few stories from people having their conductonaut leaking and others warning it shouldn't be used between the cpu and heatsink. When I applied the conductonaut, I was careful, however I didn't realize there was a small tip that I needed to attach. So I ended up with a ball bigger than a pea, but after spreading it on cpu and heatsink, there was a small puddle or lake effect. I knew I had too much. So I got paranoid and tore it down again, removed the conductonaut with qtips and ISO. I went to reapply the LM, but it turns I used the whole tube.
I reapplied the kryonaut but got worse temps, applied it a few times and still poor temps compared to the first paste. I finally decided to live with it and close up the case. When I powered it on, it died almost immediately. Pressing the power button barely spun the fan and got nothing. I tore it down again and flipped the case upside down.....a screw fell out. How it was in there, I don't know, I flipped it over before I closed the case. So I thought the MB was dead. Replaced the MB and got LED lights, hit the power button, and nothing, not even a fan spin. I was about to flip my shit, when I decided to see if the PSU is bad. Luckily I've had a PSU for 10 years that I never used, I plugged it in to the board and it worked. At this point, I have to assume the screw came from inside the PSU. So I had to RMA my Refurb SF600 that I picked up over black friday.
While I waited for that, I lapped the heatsink and the CPU with 1000 grid 10x in each direction, then again for 2000 grit.
I then tried MX-4 since I ran out of Kyronaut, easy to apply, but I repasted twice and got temps that matched the initial Kryonaut paste.
The lapping didn't do anything, but make the copper shiny again after the liquid metal. I also tried the LP53 with fins parallel to the ram vs perpendicular. Temps were better with airflow, parallel to the ram, heat not trapped between vrm and ram.
I spent a bit of time doing cable management the best I could with the stock SF600 cables. I closed it up and it works (phew).
I benched it again, using the same test. My temps max now hits 99-100C
I'm worried that when I add a gfx card, it will heat the cpu even more. I'm not overclocked but turboboost is on , the RAM is running at 2666 just seems the thermal limits of the heatsink and the case. My max is now 4.4ghz, with 2 cores going to 4.5, compared to 4.6 out of case. Anyone else with similar temps?
The intel diagnostics tool heated up the CPU more than Performance Test or Prime95, it hit 100C out of the case and failed the test. With the MX-4, it barely passed but still hit 100C (probably a fluke, since the temp is checked every 2-3 seconds)
I never delidded and after seeing these stress temps, It's looking more likely I'll be willing to attempt it. Anyone have temp comparisons for a 8700 delid?
I'll be keeping the sentry vertical.
I still need to get a GFX card:
So what should I do?
GTX 1080TI EVGA Blower
Open Air card?
Wait for next gen (Q2-Q3?)
Another card?
Fatal1ty Z370 Gaming-ITX/ac
Intel 8700 Coffee Lake
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 2666MHz (PC4 21300) C16
Thermolab LP53 Slim & Quiet CPU Cooler Intel 1155/1156
Noctua 92 x 14 mm Low-Profile Cooling Fan with A-Series Blades (NF-A9x14) w/ Silicone Cooking Bands
Samsung 960 EVO Series - 500GB NVMe - M.2 Internal SSD (MZ-V6E500BW)
JP-P600-05 JunPus JP-P600 High Performance Thermal Pad 6W/mK (100x100mm) 0.5 mm
Corsair SF600 600W PSU
Demcifilters
The termal pad helped temps out of the case for the 960 evo, 8C lower. It's the same temp inside the case with the thermalpad vs out of case without thermal pad because it's under the motherboard and the motherboard was that on the foam. I didn't remove the sticker, since it has copper traces and it voids the warranty, I doubt it would make a difference anyway.
I first had Kyronaut, but I found it really hard to apply. The paste is very dry and the TIM sticks more to the spatula tool provided than anything else. The TIM was sliding around on the processor. Using PassMark Performance Test 9.0, my max cpu temps were between 80-85C, depending on the core with Kyronaut. I then decided to try Conductonaut, which got me a max of 80C, that was consistent across all cores. I then started to read a few stories from people having their conductonaut leaking and others warning it shouldn't be used between the cpu and heatsink. When I applied the conductonaut, I was careful, however I didn't realize there was a small tip that I needed to attach. So I ended up with a ball bigger than a pea, but after spreading it on cpu and heatsink, there was a small puddle or lake effect. I knew I had too much. So I got paranoid and tore it down again, removed the conductonaut with qtips and ISO. I went to reapply the LM, but it turns I used the whole tube.
I reapplied the kryonaut but got worse temps, applied it a few times and still poor temps compared to the first paste. I finally decided to live with it and close up the case. When I powered it on, it died almost immediately. Pressing the power button barely spun the fan and got nothing. I tore it down again and flipped the case upside down.....a screw fell out. How it was in there, I don't know, I flipped it over before I closed the case. So I thought the MB was dead. Replaced the MB and got LED lights, hit the power button, and nothing, not even a fan spin. I was about to flip my shit, when I decided to see if the PSU is bad. Luckily I've had a PSU for 10 years that I never used, I plugged it in to the board and it worked. At this point, I have to assume the screw came from inside the PSU. So I had to RMA my Refurb SF600 that I picked up over black friday.
While I waited for that, I lapped the heatsink and the CPU with 1000 grid 10x in each direction, then again for 2000 grit.
I then tried MX-4 since I ran out of Kyronaut, easy to apply, but I repasted twice and got temps that matched the initial Kryonaut paste.
The lapping didn't do anything, but make the copper shiny again after the liquid metal. I also tried the LP53 with fins parallel to the ram vs perpendicular. Temps were better with airflow, parallel to the ram, heat not trapped between vrm and ram.
I spent a bit of time doing cable management the best I could with the stock SF600 cables. I closed it up and it works (phew).
I benched it again, using the same test. My temps max now hits 99-100C
I'm worried that when I add a gfx card, it will heat the cpu even more. I'm not overclocked but turboboost is on , the RAM is running at 2666 just seems the thermal limits of the heatsink and the case. My max is now 4.4ghz, with 2 cores going to 4.5, compared to 4.6 out of case. Anyone else with similar temps?
The intel diagnostics tool heated up the CPU more than Performance Test or Prime95, it hit 100C out of the case and failed the test. With the MX-4, it barely passed but still hit 100C (probably a fluke, since the temp is checked every 2-3 seconds)
I never delidded and after seeing these stress temps, It's looking more likely I'll be willing to attempt it. Anyone have temp comparisons for a 8700 delid?
I'll be keeping the sentry vertical.
I still need to get a GFX card:
So what should I do?
GTX 1080TI EVGA Blower
Open Air card?
Wait for next gen (Q2-Q3?)
Another card?
Last edited:
Blower card, preferably one of the quieter ones. So, not the Asus Turbo series from what I hear.
Is there any consensus re GPU blower Vs Open Air in the Sentry - picked up a Sentry on eBay a couple of months ago, no inclination to shove OTT CPU / GPU in there - plus all the faffing with weather stripping etc. 1600x and a 1060 mini or 1070ti blower or an open air 1070ti which I can retrieve from another rig. 1080p gaming and some number crunching is the most I want to throw at it.
tend to get better overall temps with a blower but tends to be quieter with the open air, open air results in more warm air circulating in the case though
